The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-05-25
SOME DARK TEACHINGS.
4 PLANTATION NIGHT SCHOOL toh
NEGROES BEFORE THE WAR.

Some Entertaining Recollectlons OF 'ie
Times Before the Civil War.
(From New York Commercial Advertiser
AS is well known, it was held to be
against good policy in the South, IN the
old days, that the slaves should be taught
to read. To teach them was, IN TACT,
prohibited by law in most of the States.
It would be an error to suppose, how
ever, that none OF them were so taught
For the master OF the plantation was, IN
many ways, an absolute monarch-every
farm sort of kingdom-and these
potentates chose to Judge for themselves
how strict should be their obedience to
general laws, how far they would allow
themselves to be controlled by the Legls-
lature in the internal economy OF their
little principalities.
Southern planters were in the habit OF
having such OF their slaves taught to
read as they chose-law or no law. l.
myself, at the age Of twelve, was prlncl-
pal of a school consisting of half a dozen
of mile and others slaves; and some ac-
count of my methods may interest the
teachers, professors and other hteratl OF
our day.
The object of the school was the hlgh-
est possible. Indeed, it was not a
school, nor even a college; it was a theo-
logical seminary. All my pupils were
preparing for the ministry.
70 this day I remember with pride
how thoroughly unsectarian was my IN
structon. I made no effort to bull those
slaves into accepting my dogmas, as
proof OF which 1 offer the fact that
whereas was then, as now, sturdy
upholder of Episcopaianisn, every one
of my graduates turned Baptist.
held my school in the kitchen after
supper. Ny pupils sat in a row on
bench. one of their number holding
aloft spluttering torch Of fat pine. 1t
gave strong if unsteady light; but was
subject to this drawback: Being held
near the head of whosoever happened to
be reading, it is more than probable that
by overheating one lobe of the brain the
symn etrical development Of that organ
was marred.
That, however, did not much disturb
Us, seeing that neitht they nor l we're
aware that We carried lobes OF any hnd
concealed about our persons.
From time to time, too, as the torch
was passed up and down the line, drops OF
burning tar fell upon the hands, arms
and necks of my students, dlrortlng
their attention, nay, causing them At
times to dance up and down the floor.
Even so, philosopher looking on might
have dimly perceived how fairly good
and ii are distributed, on the whole, IN
this best of all possible worlds, for the
cook and her scullion, seeing these
Young theologians capering and sucking
the pitch from their rugged fists, gave
forth peal after peal OF free and Joyous
laughter, so that things averaged up
pretty well, after all.
This was not free semlnary-1ar
from it. My patrons were drawn rom
among the most substantial citizens on
the plantation. They were able to pay
and I made them pay. No student OF
divinity could keep seat on that bench
without bringing me at the close OF each
month dozen new laid eggs, worth, at
that time, l23 cents; SO that eight
months tuition cost exactly 81. Prepay
ing was not insisted on. Yet I cannot
recall that on this account I was ever the
loser by even an egg. AS | myself
raised chickens, I Was very glad, too,
when hens were dilatory in their laying,
to let an account run over and receive at
the close of two months q young pllet.
NV wages were sweet-laugh not ye
professors pufed up with fat salaries, ye
school principals rolling in luxury!
NV discipline was that Of those be-
nighted days. The rod then prevailed
throughout the length and breadth OF
the Land, nor do I believe my class
would have valued my instruction at an
egg shell, even had I abolished it. But
such a thought could not have occurred
to lad who had not thought it strange
when his own teacher, having asked him
if he was ready with his Virgil, and he
replied, 'snot yet," had received three
hoggings. The first for not knowing the
Virgil, the two following with intervals
of rest for the teacher) for not crying.
So they stumbled along through their
tasks, / kept up the circulation in their
backs and shoulders. Neither they nor
I would have heard without astonish-
ment that there was any other way OF
stimulating diligence or quickening the
brain. I suppose, however, that my
thrashings could not have been very
severe, for 1 remember that they were
the occasion of great hilarity. This was
especially the case when it came to the
turn Of Joe Nelson to recite. Joe was a
famous sufferer. He was my youngest
pupil, broad shouldered carpenter, 20
years of age. He was exceedingly con-
ceited and not little vain-conceited rs
to his intellectual gifts and vain OF his
fascinations with the plantation dansels.
These qualities, however, did not pre-
vent him from being thoroughly good
fellow, and he and I were devoted
friends as long as he lived. But my
affection for him did not save his back
from one single stroke Of the peach tree
shoot upon which I frightened my grasp
as soon as he opened fire. Ny way was
not to wait till the close of session and
then mete out the sum total OF me-ited
castigation. In my seminary justice did
not limp. At every trip there came a
rap. Punishment trod upon the heels
Of error.
What made it specially hard on poo,